Herald - lantern - Dispatch 11 June '86

Antiques I would like to demythologize the antiques business. A collector who frequents my shop, in attempting to get a better price on some object, said jokingly to me, "Come on! You know you're going to have to heat this big house all winter. Couldn't -yau use the money?" "The sight of that beautiful piece," I responded, "will warm me all winter long." (Ironically, it was an ice bucket. ) I ALSO TOLD him that be had better buy the piece now, because when I reopened that spring the price would have to be brought in line with the most recent guide books. I hadn't repriced that piece in a while, and with the anticipated demand, etc.... "Toucbe!" said the man's wife, and they bought the piece. We all had a good laugh, but what our little comedy points out is a powerful myth in the antique business, the myth "Of Time and Prices" — a myth that reveals itself in questions like: "Don't antique dealers in Cape May County raise their prices in the summer to take advantage of the influx of vacationing residents and tourists?" THE FIRST person to ask me this question was a local, year-round resident, so I understood his cynicism about this. After all, each summer he has witnessed higher prices for many things from gasoline to liquor — why not antiques? Had he been a person more knowledgeable about the antique business, he might have known "why not". The antique business keeps itself quite honest indeed. There are too many experts, collectors, other dealers, and readily available books with published price lists for any one dealer to be caught seasonally adjusting his prices. If he did, he wouldn't last long in this business. "Then how can prices on the same object sometimes vary from dealer to dealer?" you may ask.. s

SOMETIMES the dealer has bought the piece more recently, and had to pay more for it himself. His retail price would have to be closer to the most recent book value. That's why it pays to shop around, but don't expect all that much of a variation. You would be getting closer to the root of the myth if you asked, "Don't all antiques have at least two prices? What about the 'Dealers' Price?" Dealers will often give one another a courtesy 10 percent discount. Since a dealer doesn't have to pay the state's 6 percent sales tax, he can usually pay a total of 16 percent less than a regular customer. This is as it should be. We can't all buy wholesale. IF A DEALER gives another dealer a greater discount than this, it is because he is expecting similar treatment when he goes to buy in that dealer's shop. So, be is in effect taking less now to make more later. Getting back to the idea of a best time to shop for antiques, some people, noticing that dealers will often do their buying in the off-season, might ask themselves, "Won't I get the best buys if I shop for antiques at the end of the season or in the fall?" This misconception brings hundreds of people to antique shops in September, October and November. If they want to think they're paying less than they would in June and July, more power to them. More often than not, however, I hear the lament: "But it was here just a few weeks ago!" DEALERS SHOP all year 'round. People only assume they can shop only in the off-season. Actually they have to remain in their shops to take care of all the off-season "bargain" hunters. Then, "Why are there so many antique shops in summer resort areas like Cape May?" People have more time when they are on vacation to think about and shop for their home decorating and collecting needs.

By Arthur H. Schwerdt

They also realize that they can get a better price from a rural dealer than | they can from dealers in the city or suburban area where they live, simply because overhead is lower for the country dealer. THERE'S AN ad on television where a man tells us that the educated consumer is his best customer. Nothing could be truer of the antique business. The more you know about how the business works, the less likely you are to fall prey to commonly misleading myths about it. Compare the price, character, and quality of new and old decorative objects. The antique, whether

it co6ts a dollar or $2000, will always give you more, do more than just decorate. When you get more, it's always a bargain, and educated shoppers are aware of this. Like all myths, the myth "Of Time And Prices" has an element of truth to it. The meter is always running on antiques, so there is a best time to buy and the best time is always now. The collector friend I mentioned at the beginning knew this, and so should you. NEXT WEEK: from myths to gypsies with some words on Bohemia. Schwerdt invites questions c/o this newspaper.

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